Myths on Vaping: Debunked by Health Experts

Cigarette smoking has a well-established link to lung illness, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and congenital abnormalities. Pick up any cigarette pack, and even if you are unaware of it, you will see graphic visuals of one of those medical disorders written on the back of the pack.

On the other hand, e-cigarettes or vapes are openly advertised as colorful accessories on social media sites and messaging applications. Even though vaping has been linked to sometimes fatal lung disease, the fruit-scented plumes that battery-operated vaporizers (also known as vape pens) produce are mistakenly thought to be less harmful than the acrid odor of cigarette smoke.

IS VAPING A SUCCESSFUL TOOL TO ASSIST YOU IN QUITTING SMOKING?

To assist smokers to give up or cut back on cigarette usage, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the sale of three vaping devices to adults last October 2021. Approving this was a controversial move.

Contrary to the FDA’s reasoning and some of the data that supports it, other studies have discovered “extremely low certainty evidence“ that using e-cigarettes is the best approach to quit smoking cigarettes. One research in the American Journal of Health Promotion shared that there isn’t “enough evidence to determine if e-cigarettes are a safe and effective means of smoking cessation in the long run” (more than 12 months).

WHY VAPING IS VIEWED AS LESS HARMFUL DESPITE BEING ALSO DANGEROUS?

One reason is that consumers frequently believe vaping to be less addictive than traditional smoking. In contrast to smoking cigarettes, vaping doesn’t require any burning at all. Additionally, vaping is “perceived as less dangerous” since it doesn’t entail burning, which people typically associate with the production of chemicals that cause cancer. It is simple to vape covertly anywhere without needing to light up.

Leslie Chua, a senior pharmacist with Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s (TTSH) Respiratory & Critical Care Medicine, stated, “Nicotine is a known addictive chemical and has been found to lower the threshold for addiction and a gateway drug to marijuana and cocaine. It has also been shown to affect brain development.”

THC AND VITAMIN E ACETATE IN VAPE JUICE: WHAT DO THEY DO?

Dr. Puah Ser Hon, a consultant with TTSH described Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as the “main psychoactive compound in cannabis that produces the associated ‘high’ feeling when consumed”. “THC’s use in vaping has gained popularity in many parts of the world. This is fuelled by companies that market their THC-containing products with purported benefits for sports or personal wellness. However, it is actually cannabinol or CBD that shows potential for various medically indicated uses”.

For Vitamin E, according to Chua, Vitamin E acetate is an oily substance that is typically used to dilute THC. Commercially available THC vaping cartridges are frequently made with these oils to increase uniformity. But in this case, the word “Vitamin E” on the label can deceive users into thinking the substance is harmless. Applying vitamin E acetate topically or taking it orally as a supplement are both acceptable options, but inhaling it is not.

OTHER CHEMICALS FOUND

E-liquids, often known as vape juices, include dangerous heavy metals like lead, nickel, and tin, as well as cancer-causing elements like formaldehyde, benzene, carbonyls, and other volatile organic compounds, regardless of how vaporizer manufacturers may try to market them.

List of chemicals that are commonly found in e-cigarettes:

• Propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine: These can lead to lung inflammation.
• Diacetyl: This can cause bronchiolitis obliterans and result in the thickening and narrowing of the airways.
• Acrolein: This can irritate the nose and throat; and cause dizziness, nausea, headache, and passing out. High concentrations can lead to loss of consciousness and death.
• Diethylene glycol: It can cause abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, altered mental status, and acute kidney injury.
• Heavy metals such as nickel, tin, lead, cadmium, and benzene: The inhalation of these can lead to lung damage.

“The potential long-term effects of e-cigarette consumption still require more medical research, so it should not be taken lightly,” said Chua.

And according to Dr. Puah, “More compounds are usually detected in the aerosol produced as new chemicals are generated during the vaporization process,”. Adding, “Although e-cigarettes may seem to produce fewer chemicals, almost all of the known chemicals emitted by e-cigarettes are known to be potentially harmful compounds and pose a general health risk to both the users and their loved ones.”